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The Great 2014 School Supply Lists

Posted on July 31, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Each year it has become a tradition to share what our school supply lists are and to see how they compare to others in other locations. As a teacher, I loved this time of year when I could get bargains for my classrooms. As a parent, I try to save when I can, but it is often more important to grab things when they are in stock so there is no stress later on. JSL’s second grade supply list came home with his report card at the end of June. While I waited to see if the middle school would post the new 2014-2015 list, it never showed up. This week I called and asked if I could get it sent to me so I could get started on shopping. The photo below are most, but not all of the items that JSL needs for second grade. I have not started to gather things for my middle schooler (still hard to say that), but will shortly.

2nd Grade Supply List

One plastic folder with pockets (for take-home)
4 pocket folders (1 blue, 1 yellow, 1 green, 1 purple)
Pencils (3 packages, sharpened, Ticonderoga)
2 erasers
1 box of 24 crayons
2 packages of 4 Expo or Dry Erase markers
1 pair of school scissors
2 glue sticks
2 hard cover marble notebooks (1 black, 1 red)
1 zippered soft pencil case
2 boxes of Kleenex
1 package of baby wipes (unscented) refills
1 large roll of paper towels
Ziploc sandwich bags (gallon size for boys, sandwich size for girls)
2 packs of Post-Its (3×3 for boys, 2×2 for girls)
Money for Time for Kids magazine

Seems pretty standard and to compare it to what NHL needed four years ago, you can see his list here.

Now please hold me. There may have been tears when I saw the 6th grade supply list. I have a feeling this is not complete because they may need items for classes like music and art. I guess we will know more in September.

6th Grade Supply List

Reading

200 index cards
loose-leaf paper
Post-It notes
1 blue folder
2 single subject blue notebooks
blue, green, and yellow highlighter
3 required reading books (Very interesting titles that are all fiction)

Science

1 green folder
1 hard cover green marble notebook
ruler
pencils only
loose-leaf paper
roll of Scotch Tape
pack of baby wipes

Social Studies

1 red folder
loose-leaf paper
1 single subject red notebook
colored pencils

Writing

Index cards
pencils
2 hard cover yellow marble notebooks
1 yellow folder
high lighter
Post-Its

Math

folder
loose-leaf paper
1 marble black composition notebooks
pencils

In addition to this it mentions a 2-3” binder, flash/jump drive 4 GB, 3 boxes of tissues, homework folder, lots of pencils, pens, dividers for binder, and 2 pocket hole punched folders for each subject in the colors mentioned.

Did I mention I am ready to cry? It isn’t because of the list, no definitely not that. As a middle school teacher in the past it seems reasonable. I am just reminded that my kiddo is a middle schooler and ready or not it is coming our way.

So what items are on your school supply lists? Have you found any really great sales this year? Please share below. As I have said before, I really am a school supply geek.

Categories:
school shopping

Sweet Summer Treats and Savings

Posted on June 16, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.

Summer is here and families all around will be hosting barbecues, picnics, and grilling for their guests. Most years, my extended family has a large gathering at the lake. Since they take care of all of the kosher meats for grilling, we often bring sweet treats to share. The best part of baking is that my kids can get involved and help. When we head to our local Price Chopper, I make sure to check the ads and coupons that they offer for additional savings. This time of year, Price Chopper is filled with the House of BBQ items. You can get recipe suggestions to help with your party planning. While walking around the seasonal section, produce, and dessert aisle with Betty Crocker Brownies, I came up with two fun ideas for parties at home or on the go.

Nothing says summer fun like a soft serve ice cream cone. Of course, ice cream melts and is not always practical when at a celebration. We decided to try a new twist on an old favorite. Kids of all ages love cupcake cones. Rather than fill the cones with cake, my youngest begged to try the Betty Crocker Supreme Triple Chunk mix. We grabbed that and a few others items for our recipe.

Faux Soft Serve Brownie Ice Cream Cones

I followed the directions on the brownie mix which called for an egg, vegetable oil, and water that were not pictured. While my oven preheated to 350, I placed the 12 ice cream cones into a cupcake tray. Then, I filled each of the cones with approximately 2 tablespoons of batter. This fills the cones to the main line inside. These baked for 20-25 minutes until they were clean to a toothpick (if you use the triple chunk just remember there are lots of gooey chip spots). There will be extra brownie batter left. You can make additional cones or use it for the other dessert that I made below.

Once the cones were cooled, it was time to transform them into soft serve ice cream cones. The new Betty Crocker Whipped Butter Cream Frosting was an amazing shopping find. When this frosting is piped onto the top of the brownie cone, it looked just like soft serve vanilla ice cream. Top with sprinkles that match the occasion, and you are all set.

Dessert Kabob with Brownie Dip

Summer time means indulging in a bounty of fresh fruit produce. I still have memories of going to Price Chopper one summer and picking five pounds of cherries with my cousin who was in from California. We then sat outside devouring them while seeing how far we could spit the pits. These days, I still smile when picking up cherries, so I had to get them to garnish my summer plates. Fruit kabobs are a refreshing treat and kids just love anything on a stick. I grabbed strawberries and green grapes. I also bought some kosher marshmallows and Price Chopper lite whipped topping.

With the remaining brownie batter from the Faux Soft Serve Brownie Ice Cream Cones, I made a dozen mini brownies. I spooned one tablespoon into each of the mini-muffin trays. These bakes for about 17 minutes at 350. Once my whipped topping was thawed, it was time to make the Brownie Dip. The small container of Price Chopper whipped topping has about three cups in it. I then mixed in one cup of the Better Crocker Supreme Peanut Butter mix. The peanut butter chips add a fun surprise to the dip. You could also add in mini chocolate chips or sprinkles.

Once this was ready, it was time to construct the Dessert Kabobs. I bought the smaller House of BBQ skewers. Each completed kabob had a marshmallow, two green grapes, a strawberry, and a mini brownie. When everything was ready, I plated them with some of the Brownie Dip and cherries. To make it a bit more festive, I put some sprinkles on top of the dip. The dip is really versatile and would be great with animal crackers or any other fruit that looks great when shopping.

Be sure to check out recipes and ideas from the other bloggers participating in the #PriceChopperBBQ campaign. Lots of recipes for grilling and more for those getting ready for the 4th of July and beyond. You can also head over to the House of BBQ Pinterest Page and follow Price Chopper on Twitter where they share many additional items. If you are on Facebook, be sure to look at their page where additional coupons and money saving offers are often posted.

What is your favorite dessert to make during the summer? I would love to hear your ideas and whether or not you get the kids involved in the process.

Disclosure: I am a member of Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. I am a frequent Price Chopper customer and have written about them on my blog in the past.

Categories:
baking shopping sponsored post summer

Arts Paradis on Etsy

Posted on December 20, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Several months ago, my friend at Chaos in the Country shared some earrings that she liked from a store on Etsy. I clicked on the link and browsed for quite some time. I immediately fell in love with several items from Arts Paradis and knew that I would be ordering something. Time went by and I sent some messages to Charlene Wood to see if she could made her beautiful angel earrings in different colors. Before I knew it, she wrote back to me and said she was going shopping and would look for new colors. A few days later, a rainbow of angel earrings were available in her Etsy store.

Shortly after this, I tried to figure out what to order myself for the boys to give me for my birthday. Yes, you read that right. I told TechyDad that I really wanted something from Charlene’s store and was going to order them. Not long after my order was placed, they arrived in a beautiful little bag grouped together.

The photos above do not do the earrings justice. They are amazing! Not only are the earrings beautiful, they are constructed really well. Charlene also looked into something that I inquired about. I told her that I really wanted to get something for autism awareness one day. Well, she ordered some items to make some different styles. I am linking to the autism items here. Right now she has wine glass charms, a bracelet, key chain, and several pairs of earrings.

Have you ever bought yourself a birthday present for someone to give you before? I would love to know if other have done this.

Disclosure: None, I simply wanted to share a great artist on Etsy. I bought my earrings and loved them so much I hope others may find something they enjoy.

Categories:
me moments shopping

Holiday Baking Ideas to Go with Price Chopper #HolidayAdvantEdge

Posted on December 15, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

While many people host parties during the holiday season, we do not usually have any at our house. Many times I am asked to bake something to bring to another location. This busy time of year often means that I am in a rush and need to make something fun, festive, and delicious in a short amount of time. This time around, I wanted to make some fun wintry snowmen themed items. My plan was to bake something for everyone to have and create a snack activity for the kids to do when we arrived. I went to our local Price Chopper and after I scanned my AdvantEdge card, I made my way to the holiday decorations aisle. There was a wide variety of items, but I immediately focused on an adorable snowman tray that I knew would be perfect for transporting some goodies.

From here, I made my way over to the baking aisle. I immediately was impressed with the huge selection of Betty Crocker items to select from. We enjoy baking with these products because they are quick, easy, you can personalize them, and they are kosher. After looking around for quite a while, I decided to make cupcakes and cookies. The Super Moist White Cake mix reminded me of a white snowman made fresh after a storm. Then the Hershey’s Cookies’n’Crème premium frosting reminded me of snow that gets a little dirty after people walk on it. I knew I wanted to top these cupcakes with a snowman and found some fun Peeps in the holiday area to finish these off.

Next, I knew I wanted a snack for kids to be able to get their hands dirty and keep busy. I could bake the cookies, put them on that cute snowman tray and bring items for them to make faces on top. I selected Snickerdoodle cookie mix first. Then I found the Betty Crocker cookie icing to make it look like a frosty friend. After that, I picked up a few more odds and ends like coconut, candy corn, and decorating gel for the faces.

I made the cupcakes ahead of time. Once they were cool, I put them into my cupcake currier for easy transport to our final destination. I piped the Cookies’n’Crème frosting on top and let my son help me sprinkle the cookie crumble on top. Then I learned a lesson, the Peeps would need to be placed on top at the final destination for the second dozen in the bottom tray. Peeps are too big and thick for my giant case.

The Snickerdoodles were baked just before we had to take them to decorate. Once they were cooled, I placed them on the snowman tray that I purchased and set up the decorating items. Candy corn for the nose, gel for the mouth, chocolate chips for eyes, and coconut to make it look more snow like on top of the white icing.

Here are some of the snowmen that everyone made from the first round of fun.

What is your favorite dessert to make and take to a holiday party? I would love to hear your ideas and whether or not you get the kids involved in the process.

Follow Price Chopper Supermarkets Holiday Recipes & Inspirations on Pinterest

For more information on Price Chopper and to find the store nearest you, visit them online at pricechopper.com, On Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Categories:
baking holidays shopping sponsored post

Shopping and Saving with Isis Mobile Wallet #VZWBuzz

Posted on December 2, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I was asked to participate in a trial shopping experience using the Isis Mobil Wallet and a Serve card with credit already on it. In my previous post, I wrote about setting up your Isis account and linking it to a Serve card. Once my account was set up, I was ready to explore thanks to coupons that were ready and waiting for me. The timing was perfect because this was the weekend before Chanukah and Black Friday. I was able to head out and beat some of the shopping frenzy and still get a good deal. Before I went out, I went into my Isis account to make sure my Toys R Us reward number was linked and that the coupons were ready.

Once you enter your pin to activate the Isis Mobile Wallet, be sure to check the “+” area to see if there are any new offers from participating retailers.

When I went out on that particular day, I knew that Toys R Us had a fantastic offer. The deal on that day has already repeated itself three times now. When I clicked on the browse offers area, I was able to see the following.

The boys and I went around Toys R Us. While I had no specific deal in mind, something caught my eye. The night before our shopping excursion, I purchased Disney Infinity for our Nintendo Wii as a surprise for the boys. We had been trying to avoid getting into this, but the deal caught my eye. So here we were at Toys R Us, with a fantastic coupon from Isis and a SALE on Disney Infinity characters. Needless to say, TechyDad and I opted to surprise the boys a little early and let them select their new figures in advance of Chanukah. When all was said and done, the three boys (hubby included), each picked out a character.

When we were finished shopping, we went to the registers. I have never used an NFC device like Isis Mobile Wallet in the past. This was something new and everyone was watching because it was new to them. I selected the Toys R Us offer, clicked on the green bar, and held up my phone to the credit card machine. The next thing I knew, my phone shook, and I was prompted to ask the cashier to check her end. Sure enough, it registered my Toys R Us loyalty card and took off the $15 from my purchase that was over $30. Next, it asked me to press a button on my phone and then scan to complete the sale by paying with Serve. Once again, the phone buzzed and just like that I was finished. Seconds later, the cashier gave me a high five for sharing something new and we were on our way.

While I was compensated to use Isis for my shopping experience, my opinions are my own. I am definitely a fan of this app and like how quick and easy the process was to use when in a busy store. Is it perfect? No, but my complaints are not with the app itself. I simply wish there were more retailers in my area that signed up with Isis to store their loyalty cards and offer deals. My first experience was so nice, that a few days later I noticed Toys R Us had the same deal back on Isis and I went back to get a surprise Chanukah present for the kids. Oh and another nice surprise when you use the American Express Serve Account with Isis, you get 20% back on every tap for up to $200 credit from now to January 31, 2014. I know I have already gotten this back quickly with my first two shopping trips.

Have you used Isis Mobile Wallet yet? If you have, I would love to hear how you have used it to save money while out and about.

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received a complimentary Serve starter kit with some money loaded onto the card to share my experience using it with the newly revamped ISIS app. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.